Sharkbait’s Cocktail of the Week: Garbage Time

Welcome to another Friday, but this Friday is squarely in garbage time. I always make this comparison this time of the year: The calendar year is essentially a football game. (American) Thanksgiving is essentially the two minute warning of a blowout game. We’ve got the ball and all we need to do is kneel it out and we’re done here. However, someone keeps calling timeouts to prolong the year, and not letting us skip to the end.

Anyway, speaking of Thanksgiving, I still have some leftover cranberries I picked up last time I was down the Cape and why not incorporate them into making a drink! I felt creative and made this one up on the fly, somewhat eyeballing proportions of the main ingredients. I decided bourbon over vodka since Cape Codders already exist, and I wanted explore more whiskey and cranberry cocktails:

2 oz. bourbon
About 3/4 oz cranberry juice
1/2 oz. Fresh lemon juice
1/4 oz. simple syrup

Add ice to a cocktail shaker. Add all the ingredients and stir until chilled. Strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with fresh cranberries.

A slight whiskey forward nose, along with slight hints of cranberry that eventually shines though.

This is nice. It starts off a touch on the sour side thanks to the cranberry juice. Though I think I added a touch too much of either the cranberry or the lemon. The sour flavors are a touch too strong, but not by any means drink ruining.

I could also bump up the simple to balance it out a little bit. Which might not be a bad idea actually. It does get a touch lost, but I think that’s because it’s doing its best to counter the cranberry and lemon

As to the bourbon, it’s mostly undetectable, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. I get some of the base flavors through the sour mixture, but the whiskey harshness is all but neutralized, with just a touch to let you know there’s whiskey

There is certainly something here. I really liked the flavor combinations going on here. Its visually appealing as well, especially with the fresh cranberries as a garnish. Maybe I’ll add some rosemary, to further drive home the seasonality of this concoction.

(Banner image courtesy Matthew Tetrault Photography)